Pete Seeger, folk singer and environmentalist, gave a lecture entitled "Around Robin Hood's Barn to Clean Up the Hudson."
Joyce Ladner, Howard University, lectured on "Getting it Together -- The Black Man, The Black Woman," as part of the Angela Davis lecture series for the Urban Center for Black Studies of Vassar College.
Vassar College set a new admission goal, calling for a student body increase of 50%, from 1,600 in 1971 to 2,400 in 1975.
Vassar College's new radio station, WVKR began full operation.
Vassar College terminated its plans for a Mid-Hudson Graduate Center of Science.
Joseph Raben, Queens College, gave a lecture in which he described current developments in the uses of computers in literary studies.
Richard Scamman, Elections Research Center, lectured on "Presidential Politics -- 1972."
Merce Cunningham and Dance Company gave a lecture-demonstration.
President Alan Simpson broke ground for the construction of a forty-four-unit set of terrace apartments for student residence near Sunset Hill.
The faculty approved the creation of a Student Advisory Committee for aiding the evaluation of faculty members.
Rene Dubos, microbiologist and experimental pathologist, lectured on "From Industrial Society to Humane Environment."
Heywood Burns, Yale University, lectured on "The Black Man and the Law" at the Urban Center for Black Studies of Vassar College.
Bernard R. Gelbaum, State University of New York, Buffalo, lectured on "Logic, Linguistics, Decidability and Computers."
The Office of Career Planning and Placement held a symposium on Women in Law. The purpose of the symposium was to uncover what opportunities there were for women who had an interest in the field of law.
Rita Coolidge, a singer signed with A&M Records, performed in the Vassar Chapel.
Dr. Beverly Hong Fincher, Johns Hopkins University, lectured on "A Trip to China."
Piet Kee, Conservatoire of the Muzieklyceum Society, Amsterdam, performed an organ concert in Skinner Hall.
Sam Bass Warner, Jr., University of Michigan, gave the Mildred C. Thompson Lecture, on "The Loss of Purpose in Urban Landscape Architecture: Andrew Jackson Downing to Lawrence Halprin."
Anne R. Sakalay, a freshman at Vassar, was appointed the youngest member of the Board of Directors for the organization YELL (Youth Emergency Line, Ltd.).
John P. Gilbert, Harvard Computing Center, lectured on "The Geometry of Two by Two Tables and Computer Simulation of Kinship and Social Structures."
Dr. Peter Green, University of Texas, lectured on "The Shadow of the Parthenon."
An exhibition of etchings, lithographs and woodcuts by artists such as Picasso, Chagall, Miro, Dali, Goya and Renoir was presented at the Vassar College Art Gallery.
Dr. Arnold E. Forster of Brooklyn, NY, gave a lecture entitled "Acupuncture and Iridology: The Diagnostics of the Future."
Grace Feldmen, musician, gave a lecture-demonstration on "Medieval Instruments."
Daniel O'Keefe, a sophomore at Vassar College, was chosen as an alternate delegate of McGovern for President at the 1972 Democratic National Convention in Miami Beach, FL.
Two exhibitions entitled "Selections from the Asian Collections of Vassar College" and "'The White, Marmorean Flock': Women Neoclassical Sculpters" were run simultaneously at the Vassar College Art Gallery.
The office of the Dean of Residence announced its intentions of mandating that women wear skirts to Sunday dinners. The policy was designed in order to revive the elegance that had traditionally existed at Vassar meal-times.
Vassar students held a week-long program of protest against IBM's military contracts with the United States government. Protesting took place at the Spackenkill plant, as well as throughout Poughkeepsie.
Peter Berger, a sociologist from Rutgers University, spoke on "Modernists as Fall Guys: Basic Script for a Sociological Harlequinade."
The Vassar Gay Liberation Front, the College's first official gay-student organization, held its organizational meeting.
Frank C. Hoppensteadt, New York University, lectured on "Mathematics and Ecology."
Kenneth Frampton, Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in New York City, lectured on "The Impact of Glass on Modern Architecture, 1800 to 1971."
The Dean of Residence announced that all dorms, except for Strong, would be co-ed the following year.
In stressing its new co-educational composition, Vassar College announced that it would replace its traditional Sophomore Fathers Weekend and Junior Mothers Weekend with a new "Sophomore Parents Weekend."
Dr. Mark Kac, Rockefeller University, lectured on "Chance and Regularity."
Ross Terill, Harvard University, lectured on "China Today: A First-Hand Impression."
Anne Armstrong, Co-Chairman of the Republican National Committee, lectured on "The Youth Vote and the Election of 1972."
The Rev. Henry J. Nagorka of Washington, D.C., gave a lecture entitled "Psychic Phenomena: Key to the Coming Unification of Science and Religion."
The Department of Anthropology sponsored an "American Indian Symposium" in order to examine the problems facing American Indians in contemporary society.
A "Medieval Weekend" kicked-off with a lecture, a play, a concert, a banquet, and a medieval Mass.
An exhibition entitled "New American Abstract Painting" was presented at the Vassar College Art Gallery.
Linda Kinsey, a senior at Vassar, expanded her senior biology project into the first sickle-cell anemia program for black Poughkeepsie residents.
The musical group Earth, Wind and Fire performed in the Vassar Chapel.
The Vassar College Committee to End the War organized a march from the Vassar Chapel to the Poughkeepsie City Armory to protest recent war moves made by President Nixon.
Edgar Munhall, curator of the Frick Collection in New York City, lectured on "The Unusual Art of J. B. Greuze."
Hanna Holburn Gray, College of Arts and Sciences, Northwestern University, delivered the 108th Commencement speech.
Vassar College offered 32 courses, in two sessions, to area residents, including those ranging from creative writing to the psychology of humor.
As part of a lecture series sponsored by the Vassar College Trustees' Committee on Women, noted anthropologist Margaret Mead spoke on "A Cross Cultural View of Human Sexuality."
The Beaux Arts Trio of New York, performed works by Haydn.
Peace activist and defendant in the Chicago Seven conspiracy trial, David Dellinger, delivered a sermon on the Vietnam War. He focused his discussion specifically on the political, psychological and cultural effects of the release of American prisoners of war.
Robert B. Semple, New York Times,lectured on the "1972 Presidential Campaign."
The Bill Evan Trio performed a concert of Jazz music.
Arthur Danto, Columbia University, lectured on "Art Works and Real Things."
Rev. Andrew Felix Morlion, International University of Social Studies, lectured on "Human Relations for Peace."
Pierre Salinger, former press secretary to John F. Kennedy, former senator, and author, spoke at Vassar College to campaign for Democratic Presidential Nominee George McGovern.
Dr. Chike Onwuachi, Howard University, lectured on "Black Consciousness and the Liberation Struggles" as part of the second annual Angela Davis lecture leries at the Urban Center for Black Studies of Vassar College.
Movie actress Piper Laurie performed in a new play written by Howard Koch entitled "Once to Every Man and Nation" at Skinner Hall. The play was presented by the McGovern for President Committee, and proceeds went to the campaign.
Tom Driver, Union Theological Seminary, and Anne Driver, lectured on "Sexism: Its Religious Origins and What to Do About It."
Under the auspices of the Political Science Department, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Jr. delivered an informal lecture on "The Current Campaign and the Future of the Democratic Party."
Jonathan Kozol, author, lectured on "Political Indoctrination in the Public Schools."
Dr. Kenneth A. R. Kennedy, Cornell University, lectured on "Digging for Early Man in India."
Jack Valenti, of the Motion Picture Association, lectured on films.
Vassar College held a seven-session inquiry into problems in education, entitled, "The Three R's" Relevance, Revision, and Reality."
Dr. Willard L. Miranker, IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center, Yorktown Heights, lectured on "Parallelism in Computation."
Frederick C. Lane, Johns Hopkins University, spoke on "Class Interpretations of the Renaissance" at the annual Mildred C. Thompson lecture.
Helen Searing, Smith College, lectured on "Workers' Housing in Red Amsterdam."
Pauline Kael, film critic, gave the Helen Kenyon Lecture on "The Alchemy of Movies."
Michael Harrington, author, lectured on "The Future of the Left in America and the World."
Ruth Bader Ginsberg, Columbia University, lectured on "Women, Men, and the Law."
Helen Boatwright, soprano, performed a concert of Renaissance and Baroque music.
Lino Novas Calvo, Cuban author, read some of his short stories.
Hugh Lloyd-Jones, Oxford University, lectured on "The Dramatic Technique of Sophocles."
Derek Traversi, Swarthmore College, lectured on "Macbeth."
1972, December to January 1973
A collection of paintings and calligraphy by Chu Ta, a 17th century Chinese painter, was exhibited at the Vassar College Art Gallery.
Imamu Amiri Baraka, formerly known as LeRoi Jones, chairman of the National Black Assembly, spoke at the Vassar Chapel. He was sponsored by the Urban Center for Black Studies and the Dutchess County Black Assembly.
Vassar held a symposium on "Mysticism vs. Science: A Modern Encounter," including speakers such as David Finkelstein, Yeshiva University, Jacob Needleman, San Francisco State College, and Huston Smith, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Dr. Philip Schmidt-Schlegel, German Consulate General, New York, lectured on "East-West Relations in the 1970's."
Barbara Ann Teer, dancer and composer, lectured on "Political Consciousness-Raising Through Arts."
Nikki Giovanni, poet, read from her work.
Ann Sutherland Harris lectured on "The Image of Women in Art."
Catherine R. Stimpson, Barnard College, lectured on "Women in Modern Literature."
Dr, Donald R. Griffin, Rockefeller University, lectured on "Orientation of Behavior of Animals."
Last updated: 10 November, 1999, by Jeremy R. Linden, '00.